49% of new build buyers pay for further changes after moving in – UKPD – The Intermediary
Almost half (49%) of recent new build buyers have paid to make further changes to their property after moving in, according to research from UK Property Development (UKPD).
The survey of 503 UK adults who had bought a new build home within the past two years found just 11% were able to personalise their property exactly as they wanted before moving in.
More than a third (38%) were offered some level of customisation by their developer before completion.
The most common options included flooring or carpets at 14%, kitchen units and finishes at 13%, kitchen worktops at 12% and wall or floor tiles at 11%.
However, buyers also wanted greater control over other aspects of their homes, with 12% wanting to customise garden design, 11% storage solutions and kitchen design, and 10% the positioning of electrical sockets and lighting.
Just 6% said they had been offered all the customisation options they wanted.
Since moving in, 24% had spent money landscaping their garden, while 15% had added fitted storage or wardrobes, 15% had redecorated and 13% had installed new lighting.
Almost a third (32%) had spent more than £5,000 making changes to their new build property, while 7% had spent at least £20,000.
Andy Morrison, director of UK Property Development, said: “Buying a brand-new home should mean moving into a property that’s ready for the way you want to live, not spending the next few months planning building work.
“Our research shows that many developers are making positive progress by offering buyers more choice, but for a lot of people those choices still centre on cosmetic finishes rather than creating a home that’s genuinely tailored to their lifestyle.
“Once they’ve lived in the property for a while, many realise they’d have preferred different storage, a redesigned kitchen, changes to the garden or even alterations to the layout, but by then those improvements become far more expensive and disruptive.”
He added: “It’s telling that almost half of buyers have already paid to make further changes, with a third spending more than £5,000 on top of the cost of buying a brand-new home.
“That suggests buyers increasingly value flexibility during the design and build process, because every decision made before completion is one less renovation project to fund after they’ve moved in.”
